According to newly published data from NHS Digital, the number of prescriptions for drugs to treat alcohol misuse was 167,000 in 2020–2021.
The number of prescriptions in England in 2020–2021 was 167,000, which is 1% higher than 2019–2020 (164,000) but 15% lower than 2014–2015 (196,000), according to the Statistics on Alcohol, England 2021 report released today.
The total net ingredient cost was £4.63 million for drugs prescribed for alcohol dependence in 2020–2021, 2% higher than in 2019–2020 and 33% higher than in 2014–2015.
The report also includes previously published data from other sources, including statistics around alcohol-related hospital admissions, published in October 2021.
Under the narrow definition, drinking alcohol was the main reason for around 280,000 admissions to hospitals in 2019–2020. The number of admissions is 2% higher than in 2018–2019. There were almost 980,000 admissions in 2019–2020; under the broad measure, this is 4% higher than in 2018–2019.
Other data in the report include:
- Prescriptions for drugs to treat alcohol dependence by region
- Alcohol affordability and expenditure
